


You and Me, That's All There'll Ever Be

by alienat



Category: CW Network RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-03
Updated: 2012-05-03
Packaged: 2017-11-04 18:40:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/396989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alienat/pseuds/alienat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared’s 13; and then he’s not. As if waking up in a huge bed with a naked guy next to him isn’t weird enough, Jared finds out that he hasn’t talked to Jensen, his best friend, in seventeen years. Something he never thought possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You and Me, That's All There'll Ever Be

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for and is based off the movie [13 Going on 30](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337563/) with Jennifer Garner. I want to thank for being so nice to cheerlead, encourage and deem this fic worthy to be posted. Another thank you goes out to for the lovely art she made for the story.

  


Jared dribbles the basketball quickly through the hallway of MacArthur Junior High School on his way to his locker. He can see Jensen standing at his own, rummaging through it and searching for his next textbook. 

"Padalecki!"

Jared cringes and catches the ball in his hands. He turns around and waves at Principal Turner. "Hey, Principal Turner."

"How many times do I have to tell you that the hallway is not the basketball court?"

"Sorry, Sir." He puts the ball beneath his arm and gives Turner a remorseful look. Nobody could ever evade his puppy-dog eyes. 

Turner rolls his eyes. "Just get to your next class, Padalecki. Or I might have to give you detention."

Jared smiles. "I'll hurry." 

He sprints down the hallway and comes to a skittering halt next to Jensen, who just looks at him with raised eyebrows. Jared grins at him and Jensen laughs.

"One day Jay, they'll all be immune to that look."

Jared looks innocently at Jensen and asks, "What look?"

Jensen snorts and rolls his eyes. "C'mon, we need to get to English or Mrs. Hoover will throw a fit and I don't want to spend the afternoon in detention."

Jared bounces after Jensen, considering if he should try dribbling the ball again but then deciding against it. Nothing's worth spending the first nice and warm afternoon of the year in detention. 

~~~~

That afternoon, after finishing his homework - his mom always makes sure he's finished with it before leaving the house, he rushes down to the basketball court near his house. 

Jensen, Jason and Mike are already waiting for him and he greets them with their trademark slap-pull-fistbump-handshake. It had been Jensen who’d had the idea last year that they needed a special handshake for themselves and Jared thinks it's pretty cool that they have something that's just theirs. 

They play a few games, him and Jensen against Jason and Mike, and it's probably a little unfair, because Jared's at least a foot taller than all of them already. So, he and Jensen win all of the games by a buttload of points. 

After, Jared throws himself down on the grass, stretching his arms over his head and watches the clouds in the sky, until Jensen steps into the sun. 

"Jerk, get out of my sun," he growls and Jensen laughs, throwing his head back and there's something that stirs in Jared's stomach at the sound. 

He's been noticing it a lot more often lately. Whenever Jensen laughs or when he just smiles at Jared, there's this twitch in his stomach. He even dreamed about Jensen a couple of nights ago and woke up with sticky boxers. 

Jared hasn't really thought about what it all means, but now that Jensen's standing over him, Jared thinks for the first time what it would feel like to kiss Jensen. His dick twitches in his pants and he can't help but blush. 

He can't let Jensen see that he has a stupid crush on him. He can't let anyone see that he has a stupid crush on Jensen. He just can't be gay. 

"C'mon, asshole," Jensen says and holds out his hand to help Jared up, but Jared slaps it aside. 

He can't deal with touching Jensen right now. Scrambling to his feet, he avoids Jensen's eyes and tries to push the images from his dream to the back of his mind. Jensen frowns. 

"You okay, Jay?"

Jared nods. "Sure. How about another game?" He rushes over to Jason and steals the ball out of his hands, dribbling towards the basket and making the shot from the three-point marker. 

He avoids getting close to Jensen the whole afternoon, but can't help and feel guilty at the confused look he sees on Jensen's face. 

When he gets home that evening, his parents are sitting in front of the TV listening to the news. Jared doesn't really know what the anchorman's talking about, all he hears is his father saying, "Damn faggots, it's what they deserve."

This turns his stomach upside down and he stumbles upstairs, quietly closing the door to his bedroom behind him. His bed is soft and he buries beneath the covers. Maybe it'll all be gone when he wakes up tomorrow morning. 

*~*~*~*

Jared wakes and slowly blinks his eyes open. There's something like a hammer knocking on the inside of his skull and his mouth tastes like something died in there. The sun is shining through the cracks of the curtain and he groans, turning around and burying deeper into his pillow. 

Maybe he can convince his mom that he's sick and she'll allow him to stay home today. 

A groan next to him makes Jared sit up straight and look over. There's a guy in his bed and Jared's eyes widen in shock. He scrambles to the side, falling out of the bed in the process and hitting his chin on the nightstand. 

Ouch, that hurt. 

He crawls away to the far wall and that's when he notices that he's not in his bedroom. He doesn't know how he got here, but this is not his bedroom. For one, the room is huge and the bed is huge too. Also there are no Knight Rider posters on the wall. No, these walls are lined with framed front pages of the US Magazine, all showing the same guy. 

  


Jared stands up and is met with his reflection in a mirror that’s hanging on the opposite wall. First, he's naked, butt naked, and second he's not himself, at least, not his thirteen-year-old-self. No, he’s the guy on the front pages. What the fuck? He shakes his head and the knocking gets more insistent. 

What the hell happened? 

"Dude, awesome night."

Jared's eyes shoot over to the guy in his bed. He's old, at least thirty or so. He's grinning at Jared and then runs a hand through his hair, leering at Jared's junk. He covers it up with his hands and looks for something to say.

"It's okay," the guy says and climbs out of bed. 

He's naked too and Jared closes his eyes. Does this mean he's gay? Oh god, his parents will kill him. And Jensen? What will he think? 

"I should have left last night, but your bed's really comfy." The guy buttons up his pants and pulls on his dress shirt. "It was good meeting you, Jared," he says and walks over, pressing a soft kiss to Jared's lips. "Call me if you want."

Then he walks out of the room and Jared's left alone in a strange apartment with his mind stuck in a gay older version of himself. He wipes furiously at his lips to get the taste of the strange guy off. 

What the hell? 

He’s still standing there, pressed against the wall and contemplating if crying or freaking out would be the better option, when he hears another voice calling for him. "Jared? You awake yet? Damn, Sophia will rip me a new one if you mess up the shoot."

The bedroom door flies open and he sees a blond guy about his age - well, his new age - staring at him. 

"So, you are up." He looks over at the bed and grins. "Rough night, huh, birthday boy? I know turning thirty is not easy." 

Thirty? What? "Who are you?" Jared stutters and the guy cackles. 

"Dude, I knew you were plastered last night. Didn't know you could forget your best friend, though." He walks over to the curtains and pulls them open, bathing the room in sunlight. 

"Jensen?" Jared goes out on a guess and the guy frowns. 

"Who? No, Chad. Dude, you know that. We've been best friends since high school. C'mon, get dressed. Sophia’s waiting for us."

Jared rubs his temples. His head is buzzing and he gets it's what you'd call a hangover. His first hangover and he can't even remember the drinking part. Awesome. 

"Go, take a shower," Chad says and pushes Jared towards a door, that Jared guesses leads to the bathroom. "I'll wait here."

"There was a guy in my bed." The words just tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them. 

Chad cocks his head and snorts. "Well, I'd hope so. It would've sucked if nothing had come out of the 'Fuck-me-right-here-and-now'-looks you'd given the guy at the bar last night."

"But...," Jared stutters. "You don't care if I'm...?"

"What? Gay?" Chad shakes his head and laughs. "Right, now you're asking me, after exposing me to your gay for years? Man, how drunk were you?"

Jared wants to apologize, but then he realizes that Chad's actually joking and he shuts his mouth again. 

"Seriously, Jay. You need to shower and get dressed. Sophia will have our asses if we're not on time."

Jared nods dumbly and stumbles into a large room with a walk-in shower, two sinks and a mirror that goes from one end of the room to the other. He takes another look at his older self, his thirty-year-old-self. He’s turned thirty and he can't remember anything about it. 

His hair is longer, more wavy too. He has broad shoulders and a fucking six-pack. At thirteen he was tall, yes, but scrawny and with limbs that didn't seem to belong to himself because he’d just hit a growth spurt. But now everything's filled out nicely and Jared has to admit, he likes the way he looks. 

He takes a shower, like Chad told him to, and then makes his way back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped tightly around his hips. Chad's sitting on his bed, flipping through a magazine. 

"Dude, that’s an amazing shot," he says and holds up the magazine to Jared. 

It shows a picture of him in nothing more than Calvin Klein boxer briefs. He's leaning against a wall, his eyes looking right into the camera and his fingertips are pushed just beneath the waistband. He stares at it and then rips the magazine out of Chad's hands. 

"What the...?"

"Awesome, right? If you ask me that's your best shot right there. Sophia and probably all other women in New York - maybe all over the world - have this picture pinned to their bedroom wall."

Jared shakes his head. "New York?"

"Dude, the alcohol really did a thing on you, huh? Damn right, New York."

Jared thinks about him and Jensen joking that one day they'd leave Bumfuck New Jersey and go to New York to make it big. Apparently he did. He wonders where Jensen is right now. 

Something starts ringing and Chad curses when he pulls out a black box and starts talking into it. Holy shit, Jared's heard about cell phones, but the last one he saw was huge, nothing like that little black device Chad's talking to. 

Chad hangs up and says, "Dude you need to get dressed. Right the fuck now."

Jared nods and then looks around. He doesn't see a drawer and Chad rolls his eyes at him. 

"Man, no more alcohol for you," he says and pushes Jared towards another door. 

It leads into a room that's about the size of his childhood room, but here it's filled with clothes and shoes. Jared hasn't seen so many clothes in one place expect for a clothes store. What’s even more shocking are the colors on the shelves; bright red, blue, green, yellow and pink glare at him right now. 

Chad pulls some jeans off one of the shelves and then grabs a yellow t-shirt from another. "Here, wear these. Sophia always says these jeans bring out your butt." Jared frowns, but grabs the things from Chad, looking pointedly at him. "What, now you're shy? Whatever, man. Just get dressed."

He walks out and Jared takes some black boxer briefs from a shelf in the back. He gets dressed and thinks his mom would say that those things are at least two sizes too small. They lie tight against his body, the t-shirt stretching tightly across his shoulders and the jeans feel like they are glued to his butt. He looks into the room’s high mirror that's attached to one of the walls. This Jared really seems to have a thing for mirrors. 

In the end, he accepts that the clothes cling to him and walks back in the bedroom. Maybe this is how gay guys walk around these days. Chad looks him over and nods appreciatively. For a second Jared wonders if they ever... you know what, but then he pushes the thought to the back of his mind. 

He follows Chad into the living room and his breath gets stuck in his throat when he looks out the windows and sees Central Park just outside. 

"Hey, you can stare when we get back. C'mon." 

Jared grabs the black phone, the wallet and the keys Chad holds out for him and then follows him outside. They take the elevator down to the lobby and Jared smiles when the doorman greets him by name. 

It's warm outside and Jared would rather walk, but Chad's already pushing him towards the black SUV that's parked in front of the building. 

Five minutes later, they're driving down the street. After half an hour of driving through New York traffic, Chad stops the car in front of a brown building. Jared looks up, but Chad pulls him into the building and up in the elevator they go. 

When they get out again, Jared's surprised to see a roof garden, which is overflowing with people. Lights have been put up, someone is shouting some orders and Jared can see people scrambling away to fulfill them. 

"Jared, you’re late." A woman dressed in a white blouse and a black shin length skirt is making her way towards them and Jared wonders how she can walk in those high heels. Her hair is pulled back in a neat bun and her glasses are making her look really serious. "Chad, I told you to make sure he's on time."

"Sorry, Sophia. Our boy had a little hangover, but we took care of it."

Sophia looks Jared up and down. "Great. Now go find Sandy, so she can fix whatever it is that happened to your face and hair. I have to find Richard." She walks away swiftly and Jared looks at Chad with raised eyebrows. 

Chad shrugs. "It's her job to make your life hell, that's why she's your manager."

Jared sighs and takes a little step back when he sees a girl rushing over to him. She's tiny, her dark hair flowing freely over her shoulders and there's a smile on her face. 

"There you are, Jared. C'mon, I'll make you look really handsome."

He guesses this is Sandy and he follows her to an area where there's a table with a mirror and a chair in front of it. Jared frowns at the utensils that are standing on the table and when he realizes what they are he stutters, "But, I..."

"I know you're beautiful, baby," Sandy says. "But a little make-up will make this come out more. Now sit."

Jared sighs and sits down. His life has gotten weird. Apparently he's a model and he's gay and Jensen's nowhere to be seen. He takes out his cell phone and pushes a few buttons, trying to figure out how it works. He's always been good with technology and soon he's scrolling through the list of his contacts. Jensen's name is nowhere to be found. 

That's weird. 

"Hey Sandy?" he asks looking at her in the mirror. She raises her eyebrows questioningly, while she brings his hair into the perfect shape and he continues, "Would you do me a favor?"

She nods. "Sure. What is it?" 

"Can you try to find out if someone name Jensen Ackles lives in New York?" He pulls away from her hands and scribbles Jensen's name and last address on a small piece of paper. "That's his last address."

Sandy takes it and puts it in her pants' pocket. "I'll try to find something out when you're doing the shoot, okay?"

Jared nods and only then it occurs to him that he's about to be photographed and then his pictures will probably be published in some magazine. All of a sudden, he really wishes he were somewhere else. 

When Sandy's finished with him (he really doesn't notice a difference, except that his hair looks even more wavy), he thanks her nonetheless and then makes his way back to where Chad's standing. 

"Dude, you need to go and get dressed," he says and pushes him into the direction of some other girls giggling.

Jared makes his way over and the girls grin at him and pull him behind the folding screen. A couple of minutes later he's dressed in a black suit and sitting on a bench in the garden. A female model is pressed to his side and Jared is so nervous that his heart is threatening to jump out of his chest. He can't relax and the model - he thinks her name is Gianna - and the photographer - his name's Richard - notice this too. 

Sophia glares daggers at him from across the roof and it doesn't make Jared feel any better. 

The shoot turns into a complete disaster when he falls off the bench while scrambling away when Gianna tries to climb on his lap.

Somehow Richard is a really good photographer and makes do with what he has so far and it turns out that a couple of shots aren't that bad and can be used, even if they might need to be photoshopped. Whatever that means. 

In the end, Jared's glad when he's sitting in Sandy's chair and she's removing all the make-up. 

"Hey, I found your Jensen Ackles. He is living in New York, Greenwich Village to be correct. He teaches English Literature at NYU." She pushes something in Jared's hand. "Here's his address and phone number."

Jared shakes his head. "Thank you. How did you get all this?"

She winks at him. "I have my contacts. So, you gonna tell me who this Jensen Ackles is and why you're interested in him all of a sudden?"

Jared grins. "He's my best friend."

Sandy looks at him through the mirror and then nods. "Okay. I thought Chad’s your best friend? But, you have fun catching up with Jensen. I saw a picture. He's gorgeous."

After Sandy lets him go he considers, walking over to where Chad's talking to Sophia, but then decides against it and instead makes his way to the elevator and downstairs. He takes a cab to Jensen's apartment. 

It's late afternoon and Jared hopes that Jensen will be home, he really needs to talk to him. He knocks on the door and hears someone's footsteps getting closer. The door is pulled open and Jared is faced with Jensen Ackles' thirty-year-old-self and Sandy was right, he is gorgeous. 

Why did he think that Jensen wouldn't have aged? 

"Jared?" Jensen asks and he sounds completely shocked. 

"Hi, can I come in? I have to tell you something. Man you won't believe it." He pushes past Jensen and walks into the apartment. It's small but nice and comfy, Jared likes it instantly. "Last night when I went to bed I was thirteen and I just got home from playing basketball with you and the boys. And then this morning I wake up and I'm this." He motions at his body. "I'm thirty."

Jensen frowns. "Are you drunk?"

Jared shakes his head. "No. I mean I was but not anymore. But that's not the point. The point is that I woke up and I'm thirty. So now I need you to help me figure out what happened in the meantime."

Jensen cocks his head. "You know this sounds crazy, right?" 

"Dude, of course. I woke up naked with some other naked guy in my bed."

Jensen huffs out a laugh. "I heard you were some kind of gay Casanova."

"You heard?"

"Jared, we haven't talked since junior high. I'm sorry but I can't help you figure out what you're missing." Jensen smiles at him a little. "Maybe you should ask your friends."

"But you're my best friend."

Jensen sighs. "We haven't been best friends for a long time, Jared."

"Why?"

Jensen lets out a deep breath. "You always had a way of asking the hard questions. Honestly, I don't know. I only remember us playing basketball with Jason and Mike and that you started avoiding me, you avoided me like the plague for the rest of junior high. Then my parents moved to another district and I started high school without you."

"But..." Jared stops and he remembers avoiding Jensen and his dad saying something about damn faggots. "I didn't think... I'm sorry."

Jensen shrugs. "It's over and done with, Jared."

Jared looks at him and he thinks he sees something like disappointment in Jensen's eyes. "I always thought we'd be best friends forever."

"That's just how life is. People change."

"Yeah," Jared nods. "I should go home." He sighs. "I don't even know how to get there. Chad picked me up with a car this morning. And I don't even know the address. I remember seeing Central Park though when looking out the window."

Jensen shakes his head and chuckles amused. "C'mon, we'll find it."

They take the subway and Jared relies completely on Jensen to find the right way to Jared's home, even though he doesn't know where that is either. 

"You're a teacher, right?"

Jensen nods. "Uh huh, English Literature."

"You always liked reading."

"Yeah, I guess I made my hobby into my job. It's good."

Jared smiles. "I'm glad."

"So how's being a model treating you?"

"I don't know. It's scary. I ruined the shoot today and my manager is probably going to fire me, but other than that..."

Jensen laughs and the sound still hits something deep inside Jared. His heart clenches with missed chances. 

"I'm gay," he says all of a sudden.

Jensen grins and chuckles. "I figured with you coming out on national TV and so..."

"I did what?"

"Oh shit, you really don't remember anything?"

Jared shakes his head. "Nothing. I remember the day I realized it though."

Jensen looks at him, his head cocked. "When was that?"

"Shortly before I started avoiding you," Jared says, guessing it doesn't really matter if he says it now. "Guess that's why I started avoiding you. When I got home that night my dad said something about 'Damn faggots'."

Jensen lets out a deep breath. "Sorry, Jared. That sucks."

"There's no number for my family in my phone," he says. "Just like there was no number for you in it. I guess I don't talk to them anymore."

"Hey, it's their own fault. You're perfect just the way you are. If they can't see it, they're to blame not you."

Jared shrugs. "I guess." He looks over to Jensen. "You don't care that I'm gay?"

Jensen smiles and shakes his head. "No, would be a little hypocritical of me seeing as I'm gay too."

"You are?" Jared asks surprised. 

Jensen nods. "Realized it around the same time as you did. I had quite the crush on you."

"You did?" Jared's breath is stuck in his throat and all he wants to do is lean in and kiss Jensen. 

"It was a long time ago." Jensen gets up from his seat. "We need to get off at the next station."

They get off at the next station and Jensen leads Jared around a corner. Then they're walking towards Central Park. 

"This is it," Jared says and points at a building over on the left side.

"See, I told you we’d find it."

"You wanna come up, have a soda?"

Jensen looks around and Jared thinks he's about to say 'no', but then he nods. "Sure."

They take the elevator upstairs and Jared unlocks the door to his apartment. Jensen lets out a gasp. 

"Wow, this is huge. And the view, amazing."

Jared shrugs. "I like yours better."

Jensen turns around with a frown on his forehead. "What? Mine's tiny."

"It feels more comfy; here, it's just cold."

Jared walks into the kitchen and tries to figure out the coffee maker. 

"Oh my God, you have a DeLonghi Perfecta. This is awesome."

Jared shrugs. "You know how to get it to work?"

Jensen rolls his eyes. "Of course. I'm a coffee-holic, every coffee-holic knows how to get it to work." He pushes past Jared and goes to work. 

A couple of minutes later, they're both holding a freshly brewed cappuccino in their hands. Jensen takes a sip and moans. "Best coffee ever."

Jared snorts and takes a sip as well. It's good. For the first coffee he's ever had, it's good. 

They drink their cappuccino in silence and an awkward tension is palpable in the room. Jared doesn't know how to get rid of it, so Jensen's the one to speak first. 

"I think it's better if I leave now. You got home okay, my part's done."

Jared wants to keep him here, but doesn't know how. "Okay."

They walk to the entrance door and Jared holds his hand out for Jensen, who shakes it. 

"Jen," he says and smiles. "C'mon."

Jensen frowns and then rolls his eyes. "Jared..."

"C'mon, just like old times." 

Jensen huffs out a laugh but then he slaps Jared's hands and they fall into the easy rhythm of their trademark handshake, like seventeen years haven't passed. Jensen bumps his fist against Jared's and then says, "Goodbye, Jay."

"Bye, Jen."

He watches Jensen walk down the hallway and he wishes there was something he could say to make Jensen stay. But he can't think of anything and then Jensen rounds the corner and the chance is gone. 

Jared closes the door to his apartment and leans against the door. It's too quiet and too impeccable to really feel like home. 

He wonders how this Jared ever felt like he wanted something like this. 

~~~~

The music is loud and the floor is vibrating beneath Jared's feet. According to Chad this is the most prestigious club in New York and Jared's favorite. 

He doesn't really get why. It's loud and dark and his heart feels like it's beating out of his chest right now because of the vibrating bass. 

A crowd of half-naked sweaty people is writhing against each other on the dance floor and Chad's in the middle of them. He has his hands low on some girl’s hips and he looks like he's trying to mate with her, wriggling his ass and grimacing oddly. 

Jared's leaning with his back against the bar, sipping on his beer. It's his first ever - so okay, he secretly sipped at his dad's beer on Aunt Audrey's birthday a couple of months ago - but this is really his. He would have ordered a soda, but Chad had looked funny at him and Jared didn't want to be lame. 

Sophia had come by today and showed him the pictures of yesterday's shoot. Despite Jared ruining it, the photos turned out okay. She also told him that his next shoot is in two days and then he needs to fly to L.A. to walk for the Lagerfeld show. 

Jared can't get excited about it. How did this ever feel like the career he wanted to have? How did he ever think that this would make him happy? 

He puts his empty beer bottle on the counter and then motions for Chad that he's leaving. His friend frowns, but the girl pulls his head around so he's looking at her instead of Jared and Jared leaves. 

Outside it's still reasonably warm and he looks up. He can only see a few stars. Most of the sky is taken up by the skyscrapers surrounding him.

New York had always seemed like the freest place on Earth when he was a kid and he and Jensen were talking about what to do when they moved here. Now it feels like it's too narrow, pressing down on him too tight. 

He misses the feeling of freedom he always got when he and Jensen laid outside in one of their backyards during the summer nights. 

"Jared?"

Jared turns and sees Jensen walking towards him. There's a guy with shoulder long dark blond hair walking next to him, who's looking at him curiously. 

"Jen," he says and smiles. "What're you doing here?"

"It's Chris' favorite club." He turns to the guy next to him. "Chris, this is Jared. An old friend of mine."

They shake hands and Jared can't help but to feel a little jealous. He doesn't know what Chris is to Jensen exactly, but he can tell they've known each other a long time and are really close by the way they're looking at each other. 

"Nice to meet you, Jared," Chris says and then looks at Jensen. "I'll be inside."

When he's gone the awkwardness between Jared and Jensen is palpable. Jared pushes his hands into the pockets of his pants, rocking back and forth on his heels. 

"I wanted to call you," he says without really meaning to. 

Jensen jerks his head up from where he had been watching the pavement. "You did?"

Jared nods and shrugs. "Didn't know if you'd want me to."

"You should have," Jensen says. 

"Yeah?" Jared asks and can't help but smile. 

"Yeah," Jensen replies and smiles too. 

Jared's heart skips a beat. "So, you and Chris?"

Jensen raises his eyebrows and then laughs out loud. "Oh god, no. Chris is my best friend. He has been since high school."

Even though now it's clear that Chris isn't Jensen's boyfriend, the jealousy doesn't let up completely. Chris had been there for things Jared hadn't been and he envies him for it. 

"I have one of those too, apparently," Jared says, trying for casual, but probably failing miserably. "Chad, he's inside dancing with some girl."

"So since our best friends are both inside, occupied with hitting on some random girls, you wanna go and get something to eat? I remember you always being hungry."

Jared laughs. "That hasn't changed."

"Awesome, I know where to get the best hot dogs in town." Jensen grins and then they're walking down the street. 

Jensen buys them both a hot dog with everything and a soda to go with it and then leads them down towards the water. The Statue of Liberty is bathed in light in the distance and when Jared looks up he's able to see the stars again. 

They sit down on a small wall at the edge of the water and Jensen says, "This is one of my favorite spots in the city."

"Why?" 

"I can still see the stars when I'm sitting here at night."

Jared smiles and nods. "Yeah."

They talk about this and that, and Jared learns that Jensen's the teacher that runs the LGBT group at NYU.

"Really?" Jared asks impressed. 

Jensen nods. "I guess I want them to know that someone out there accepts them just the way they are." He lets out a deep breath. "I mean my parents were amazing when I came out and I just want to give some of that to those kids."

"That's amazing. I'm sure they love you."

Jensen chuckles. "They're great kids. Actually, I play basketball with some of them every Monday. You should join us some time."

"Sure. I'd love to."

They sit at the water’s edge for a long time before Jensen's the first to get up. "I should get home. I need to get up early tomorrow. Need to grade some papers."

Jared nods. "Okay."

"You okay to get home?" Jensen asks and Jared flips him the bird at the teasing glint in his eyes. 

"Shut up!"

Jensen throws his head back and laughs. It's the best sound ever and Jared would do anything to hear that sound for the rest of his life. 

"I'll be seeing you, Jay."

He holds out his hand and Jared grins. He slaps his hand into it, pulls and twists, and then bumps his fist against Jensen's. 

Jensen grins back. 

~~~~

It's Monday and he's already a little late. Jensen had said six o'clock, now it's already quarter past. When he rounds the corner to the street that leads to the basketball court, he can already hear Jensen's laugh and it makes his heart skip a beat and warmth fill his chest. He sees him standing with a group of six boys, joking and laughing. Jared's heart speeds up a notch and a smile forms on his face, this is the Jensen he remembers. 

He walks over to them. "Hey," he says and all of a sudden all eyes are on him. 

"Fuck, Mr. A. You told us that an old friend of yours would join us not that this friend would be Jared Padalecki."

Jared can see that Jensen rolls his eyes. "Wipe away the drool, Connor." He smiles are Jared. "Guys, this is my old friend Jay. Jay, these are Connor, Steven, Nathan, Lukas, Justin and Ryan."

Jared gives them a little wave. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

"Now let's play." Jensen claps his hands. 

They play four-on-four and Jared has some little difficulties coordinating his long limbs. The last time he played he was still a little smaller, but after stumbling over his feet for the third time and the accompanying laughter, he figures it out and makes shot after shot. 

It feels good playing with Jensen again, even though they're on rivaling teams. It feels like it's been too long since they did this and maybe it is, even though Jared remembers doing it only a couple of days ago. 

In the end, Jensen's team beats Jared's team by six points. But nobody is sad or upset. They all decide to celebrate at the diner across the street. They get a table at the back and Jared has no other choice but to slide into the booth next to Jensen. They're pressed against each other from hip to shoulder, so that Justin and Nathan can fit in the booth too. 

Jensen gives him a small smile when Jared looks over with an apology on his lips. Instead of apologizing, Jared smiles back and feels the little twitch he always got when Jensen smiled at him, in his stomach. 

They order burgers and Jared listens to Jensen talk to the boys about college and assignments and LGBT meetings and other things he can't keep track of. It's enough to just listen to Jensen's voice. 

Jensen seems to know exactly that Jared hasn't really taken his eyes off him, because every once in a while, he shoots Jared a fond look or brushes their hands together, seemingly innocently. 

The guys seem to notice it too, because when they've all finished their burgers and fries and Jensen teased Jared mercilessly for the ketchup he smeared on his t-shirt, they say goodbye, leaving Jared alone with Jensen. 

"You want another beer?" Jensen asks, looking softly at Jared. 

He's already had two and he's feeling the buzz right now, so he shakes his head. "I’ve had enough, thank you."

"You wanna leave then?"

Jared doesn't really know what Jensen's implying, but he doesn't want to stay at the diner any longer, either. "Yeah, sure."

It's already dark outside and they walk slowly back to Jensen's apartment. Their arms brush against each other from time to time and every time Jared feels the touch deep in his bones. Jensen's skin is warm and soft and Jared's arm tingles with the touch. 

"It was nice playing with you again," Jensen says breaking the silence. 

Jared nods. "It was. We should do it more often, Jen."

"Yeah, I'd like that. I mean if you're not jetting all over the world in the next few weeks." 

Jared shrugs. "Can I tell you something?" 

Jensen nods. "Of course." 

"Chad said the model thing was something I did as a “fuck you” to my parents and obviously I was good at it. But I don't think I wanna do it anymore. "

"No? Why?"

"Doesn't really make me happy, y'know?"

Jensen looks at him for a long time and then nods. "So, what do you wanna do instead?"

"Don't know yet."

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out," Jensen says and squeezes his shoulder. 

His hand is warm and firm and Jared closes his eyes for a moment. Being touched by Jensen feels good. When he opens his eyes again Jensen's so close and he's looking directly into Jared's eyes. Jared can't help himself and leans forward. 

Their lips meet. It's soft and sweet and everything Jared wished for in a first kiss. Jensen pulls him closer and the kiss gets more heated. Jensen's tongue pushes into Jared's mouth and it feels so good that Jared's legs almost buckle beneath him. He holds onto Jensen's biceps and lets him take the lead. 

When Jensen finally pulls away a little Jared's panting hard and his head's a little dizzy. Jensen smiles and wipes his thumb over Jared's swollen lips. 

"So much better than I imagined."

Jared grins dopey. "You imagined this?"

Jensen nods. "For too long."

"Me too," Jared admits. "I imagined it too."

"Come upstairs and let’s find out what else feels better."

Jared races Jensen upstairs to the apartment door and then they tumble inside. Hands push beneath his t-shirt and Jared's dick is already so damn hard in his pants. He grips Jensen's hips, pulling him closer and rubbing his crotch against Jensen's. He's hard too, Jared can feel it and it makes his cock twitch with want. 

Somehow they find their way into the bedroom and Jared pushes Jensen onto the bed. He helps Jensen to get out of his pants and t-shirt, before getting rid of his own clothes. Jensen's gorgeous; he's gorgeous when he's dressed, but now he just takes Jared's breath away, all tanned skin and tight muscles. 

Jensen's cock is long and thick and Jared just needs to taste it, so he leans down and sticks out his tongue. It makes Jensen moan and that's another sound Jared would like to hear for the rest of his life. Hands grip his hair tight and he opens his mouth, lets Jensen push his cock inside. 

"Fuck, Jay..."

Jared moans and Jensen shivers beneath him. It's like Jensen's cock is made for him, the weight and length of it fits perfectly on Jared's tongue. He swirls it around the head and then dips it into the slit, making Jensen curse and buck his lips. 

It doesn't take long for Jensen to say Jared's name like a prayer and shoot down Jared's throat. Jensen's come tastes a little bitter but Jared swallows every last drop of it. He suckles lightly on Jensen's cock until he comes down from his high. He pulls Jared off and a second later it's Jared's cock that's surrounded by a wet and hot mouth. 

He'd been so close already and it's an embarrassingly short time before he comes down Jensen's throat, his fingers digging into Jensen's shoulders and his head thrown back. 

Slowly he comes down again. Jensen's made his way up again, so that they're face-to-face. Jared smiles and wipes his thumb over Jensen's swollen lips. 

"Hi," he whispers.

"Hey." Jensen smiles and then kisses him gently. "How about a nap before round two?"

Jared chuckles and then nods. "Sounds awesome."

He can't wait for round two, but a nap sounds just about as good. He pulls Jensen into his arms and Jensen rests his head on Jared's chest, his hand lying on Jared's belly. 

That's how they fall asleep. 

*~*~*~*

Jared expects to wake up snuggled close to Jensen. But when he blinks his eyes open he realizes that he's back in his childhood room and he's thirteen years old again. Jensen’s grinning at him from the photo they took at the basketball court a couple of weeks ago that’s standing on his nightstand.

  


He thinks about freaking out and being pissed that now, when he and Jensen have just gotten together and have had awesome sex, he's turned thirteen again. 

But then it occurs to him that now he can fix everything. Now he can have Jensen in his life and be with him starting today. 

He scrambles out of his bed and rushes down the stairs in his pajamas. Running down the street to Jensen's house, he just waves at Mrs. Cleaver when she looks at him funny. He jumps over the small fence that's bordering Jensen's parents' house and then walks up to the back door. It's still early, but Mrs. Ackles is already awake, making breakfast in the kitchen. 

She looks at him funny when she opens the door. "Jared? What are you doing here this early?"

"I have to tell Jensen something."

"And this can't wait until a little later?" Jared shakes his head and Mrs. Ackles smiles. "Well then, go ahead and wake him. At least then his wrath will be on you."

Jared doesn't even care that Jensen's always grumpy when he's woken early, he just pushes past her and yells 'Thank you' before he rushes up the stairs and pushes open the door to Jensen's room. 

Jensen's buried beneath his covers and Jared can only see his friend's hair sticking out. He walks over and sits at the side of the bed. "Jen," he whispers. "Jen, wake up."

It doesn't even get a reaction out of Jensen, so Jared shakes him a little and calls his name a little louder. "Jensen. Hey. Wake up."

Jensen groans and buries deeper into the covers. "Leave me alone," he mumbles and Jared grins. 

"C'mon, Jen. I have to tell you something."

Jensen blinks his eyes open and glares at Jared. "What?" 

Jared leans down and just kisses him before his nerves get the better of him. At first, Jensen doesn't kiss him back and Jared thinks that he might just have fucked everything up, but then Jensen curls his fingers into Jared's t-shirt and pulls him closer.

It's messy and wet and nothing like the kiss they shared when they were both thirty, but it's still so good. 

When Jared pulls away, Jensen's lips are red and swollen and Jared wants to kiss him again, but first he needs to say it. 

"I really, really like you."

Jensen's eyes grow wide. "What?" he croaks. 

"I really, really like you. You wanna go on a date?"

"I..." Jensen stutters. "You sure?"

Jared laughs and nods. "I'm sure."

"Then yes," Jensen says softly and then they're kissing again. 

*~*~*~*

"Jensen!"

Jared walks into the house with a bag filled with chocolate chip muffins, Jensen's vanilla cafe latte and his own latte macchiato. He puts everything on the kitchen island and goes searching for his fiancé. 

They've just moved into the house and there are still a lot of boxes piled up and shelves that still need to be filled. But Jared already thinks it feels like home. 

He finds Jensen asleep on the couch with their two puppies, Sadie and Harley, curled up next to him. Jared grins and leans down. He presses a soft kiss to the tip of Jensen's nose. 

"Hey, sleeping beauty," he whispers. 

Jensen blinks his eyes open. "Hi."

He pulls Jared down into a real kiss and Jared moans when he feels Jensen push his tongue into his mouth. Their tongues fight a small battle before Jared surrenders and lets Jensen take the lead. Hands are pushed into his hair and he shudders. He loves when Jensen plays with his hair. 

"I've brought muffins and coffee," he says when he pulls back a little. 

"Hmm, coffee or you? That's such a hard decision," Jensen murmurs and Jared laughs. 

"You could always have coffee first and then me."

"Now that sounds like an idea I can get behind," Jensen says and pushes up from the couch. He gets the bag and their coffees from the kitchen island, before dropping back down on the couch. 

Jared takes his coffee out of Jensen's hand and takes a sip. He watches Jensen take a bite of the muffin and then a sip of his coffee. A smile forms on his face at Jensen's obvious bliss. 

They've been together since they were thirteen and still Jared can't get enough of watching Jensen. He's still working as a teacher, but not at NYU, instead he works at the local high school. After the glimpse into the future, Jared knew that he didn't want to be a model, no matter how much a “fuck you” that would be to his parents. Now he works as a social worker at the local youth center and it's very fulfilling work. 

They're both happy and Jared wouldn't exchange the life he has now for anything, not for the life he saw in that future glimpse or anything else. 

Jensen looks over to him. "What're you thinking about?"

"You. Us."

"And? Good thoughts?"

Jared nods and smiles. "Always good thoughts." He leans forward and takes the cup of coffee out of Jensen's hand. "I think now it's time for the 'me' part."

"Oh you think so," Jensen teases and Jared grins. 

Instead of saying something, he just kisses Jensen and his fiancé really doesn't seem to mind that Jared took his coffee away. 

The End 


End file.
